Giuliani: Mueller will wrap up Trump's obstruction of justice case by September 1
- Special Counsel Robert Mueller plans to wrap up his obstruction of justice case against President Donald Trump by September 1, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said.
- Giuliani told The New York Times that Mueller's probe should close before the upcoming midterm elections in November or it will risk influencing voters.
- The Times speculated that Giuliani's comments appeared to be an attempt at publicly pressuring Mueller as Trump's team contemplates an interview with the President.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller plans to wrap up his obstruction of justice inquiry against President Donald Trump by September 1, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday.
Giuliani told The New York Times that Mueller shared his timeline for the investigation two weeks ago as negotiations ensued on whether or not President Trump would be questioned by investigators.
The Times speculated that Giuliani's comments appeared to be an attempt at publicly pressuring Mueller as Trump's team contemplates an interview with the President.
Giuliani urged that Mueller's probe close before the upcoming midterm elections in November, saying that waiting any longer could influence voters. Giuliani compared the situation to former FBI Director James Comey's decision to reopen an investigation into Hilary Clinton's use of a private email server in the days leading up to the 2016 election, a move Democrats widely blamed for swaying public opinion.
"You don't want another repeat of the 2016 election where you get contrary reports at the end and you don't know how it affected the election," Giuliani told The Times.
Mueller's team is also investigating Comey's bombshell claim that Trump asked him to end his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Giuliani told The Times he hoped the Justice Department would open a criminal investigation into Comey for perjury.
"We want the concentration of this to be on Comey versus the president's credibility, and I think we win that and people get that," Giuliani told The Times. He added that he wants the results of the investigation to be made public.
Giuliani's statements followed a tweet by President Trump made hours earlier on Mueller's continued probe potentially hurting Republicans in the midterms.
Giuliani said Trump is open to being interviewed by Mueller, however the interview would likely take place after Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12. Giuliani said Trump would likely be questioned around July 4.
Mueller's investigation is now in it's second year, and is looking at potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to tip the scales during the 2016 election, and possible obstruction of justice on Trump's part. Giuliani's comments about the September deadline were referring only to the obstruction inquiry, not the broader Russia investigation.
On Sunday, Trump demanded the Justice Department look into whether the FBI had an informant "infiltrate" his presidential campaign for political purposes, though Trump nor Giuliani has provided any evidence of the claims.